Feed aggregator
Google Reader Play
"In Google Reader Play, items are presented one at a time, and each item is big and full-screen. After you've read an item, just click the next arrow to move to the next one, or click any item on the filmstrip below to fast-forward. Of course, you can click the title or image of any item to go to the original version. And since so much of the good stuff online is visual, we automatically enlarge images and auto-play videos full-screen," explains Google.
The interface is optimized for posts that include images and for short blog posts. You can use keyboard shortcuts to navigate to the next post or you can start the slideshow view to only look at the images and headlines.
I was disappointed to see that Google Reader Play doesn't show your subscriptions. It only shows a list of recommended pages and Google uses your actions (starring, liking or sharing items) to improve the recommendations. If you want to read your subscriptions in Google Reader Play, use this URL:
http://www.google.com/reader/play/#stream
Google Fiber Sparks Online Competition Between Cities Nationwide
It seems like every city in America wants Google Fiber. And who can blame them? Ever since Google announced its plan last month to bring ultra-high speed Internet connections (as in, up to 100x faster than what most of the country has today) to between 50,000 and 500,000 people, cities across the U.S. have been clamoring to curry the favor of the search giant.
First there was Topeka, KS, which renamed itself by proclamation to Google, KS. Then Duluth, MN upped the ante by promising (comedically, we hope) to name all the town’s first-born children after Google. Then Greenville, SC entered the fray with their all-out “We Are Feeling Lucky” social media campaign that included a landing page, YouTube channel, Facebook events, and Twitter hashtag.
But will any of these efforts be enough?
The CompetitionTopeka, Duluth, and Greenville are not alone in wanting Google to trick out their municipalities with super fast Internet speeds. A growing number of American cities are making their pitch to Google in advance of the March 26th deadline, and some of them are pretty creative.
Peoria, IL, for example, is playing off its reputation as the prototypical middle American town and the famous “Will it play in Peoria?” catchphrase. They’ve launched Google Plays in Peoria in an attempt to convince the company that their town is the perfect test-bed for Google’s new technology.
Perhaps taking a cue from Topeka, on the other hand, Sarasota, FL has also renamed itself… to Google Island. Their site includes the standard YouTube videos, Facebook Fan Page, Twitter account, and cleverly, a “Declaration of Independence from Narrowband Networks.”
Other cities have also pulled out all the stops in their campaign to get Big G to invest in their infrastructure. Baltimore, MD thinks a petition is the way to go, and presents their case using a Google Maps mashup, YouTube videos, and a list of local startups that could use a few more bits on their BmoreFiber.com pitch page.
Austin, TX, Charlottesville, VA, Greensboro, NC, Portland, OR, Grand Rapids, MI, and Indianapolis, IN are also in on the action with either official or citizen-led campaigns to catch Google’s attention.
Who Wins? Google, For OneGoogle has yet to reveal how it will pick where its magical fiber will be implemented — glitz and numbers may ultimately have nothing to do with it. However, no matter which city wins the ultimate prize of having Google come to town and pimp out their Internet connections the way Xhibit pimps out cars, Google itself is a big winner in the process. So are social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Google wins because they get to further their agenda. The stampede among cities to compete for Google’s trial has already demonstrated the desire that people and municipalities have for faster Internet infrastructure and “open access” networks. “It’s obvious the ISPs and incumbent utility providers don’t feel the incentive they need, the pressure they need, to keep themselves up to date,” wrote a commenter on a blog post from Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn’s office declaring their intention to compete for Google Fiber. Making the public more aware of the issues that Google cares about (better/faster infrastructure, universal access, net neutrality) is a win for Google, whose plans for the cloud-based computing hinge on faster and more ubiquitous broadband connections.
Facebook, meanwhile, has proven to be one of the most popular meeting grounds for Google Fiber advocates. Most of the campaigns already mentioned in this post have a presence on Facebook, and some communities and citizen-led groups have put the entirety of their energy on promoting the case to fellow citizens through the social network. There are growing Facebook groups for Google Fiber in Ventura, CA, Columbia, MO, Davis, CA, Huntsville, AL, Buffalo, NY, Baton Rouge, LA, Rochester, NY, Fresno, CA, Cincinnati, OH, San Luis Obispo, CA — to name just a few. In fact, a Groups search for “Google Fiber” on Facebook this morning yielded almost 250 results.
Other cities and towns are turning to Twitter to make their case. Madison, WI, for example, has a Twitter account and is using the hashtag #madfiber to spread the word about Google Fiber to other Madison residents. And Memphis, TN mayor A.C. Wharton, Jr. is using his Twitter account to tweet about his city’s pitch and encourage citizens to get involved using the #memphisgoogle hashtag.
Social gathering places like Facebook and Twitter are used all the time for campaigns bigger than the Google Fiber competition, so it may seem naive to call those sites winners here. But like Google, social networks would benefit immensely from faster, more universal broadband access, so getting their brands entangled in the movement early might be a major boon down the road.
Is your city gunning for Google Fiber? Which of these campaigns do you think will best catch Google’s attention? Let us know in the comments.
Reviews: Facebook, Google, Google Maps, Twitter, YouTubeTags: facebook, Fiber Optic, Google, google fiber, Google Kansas, ISP, isps, social media, tech, trending, twitter, youtube
Tron Legacy trailer hits the web in high quality
We’ve shown you the new Tron trailer 48 hours ago in bootleg quality, but you can forget that one now and rather watch this high-quality version. Judging from these 2.30 minutes, we’re in for something cool.
The new Tron movie is scheduled for release in the US on December 21 this year. The cast is pretty good, including Jeff Bridges, John Hurt and Michael Sheen. Here’s the official website.
And here’s the new trailer:
iTunes Down for Some
The iTunes Store appears to be suffering downtime and other issues today. The service is at best slow, at worst not loading for some and delivering error messages for others.
It’s rare for Apple’s media store — which recently celebrated an amazing 10 billion downloads — to suffer from technical difficulties, but it seems it has fallen foul of some kind of as-yet-unconfirmed issue.
Here at Mashable, we’ve been testing the service and although a search can be carried out successfully (if slowly) trying to click through to specific items returns an error message: “We could not complete your iTunes Store request. An unknown error occurred (504).”
It seems many Twitter users are having similar problems. Recently tweeted iTunes-themed comments include, “What’s wrong with iTunes today?” and “iTunes Store not working/slow. Anyone having the same problem?”
Are you suffering from iTunes issues? We are keeping an eye on the Apple support page for iTunes and will let you know when we hear more.
Reviews: Mashable, TwitterComplete DYI guide on how to repair and restore the look of your iPhone: Front and Back
The following article was post over on MacRumors Forums. This is an excellent how-to guide for restoring your iPhone to it’s original grand luster. We want to specifically thank MacRumors forum member Shenaniganz08 for taking the time to put together such a wonderful thread. Please note: FoneFrenzy.com or any editorial staff with this site, is not responsible if you break or jack-up your iPhone (or any phone for that matter) in any way whatsoever. Doing so is at your own risk. So if you bust it, don’t come crying to us. Hit the break for the thorough instruction guide on how to restore your iPhone, front and back, from start to finish.Background
My previous iPhone was stolen at the gym, low on funds I decided to buy the cheapest iPhone I could find that worked regardless of condition. I found an iPhone 3G that had being completely abused and had a dark spot on the LCD. On the second picture notice the gouge on the right side, out of of all the blemishes it was the deepest) Still I ended up buying the phone for a really good price.
My first attempt at restoring it was a mild success, since I used mild sandpapers/rushed. But you can see that even with 800 grit sandpaper and about an hour I got it looking better, but it still had tons of deep dents and scratches.
Warning Warning Warning Warning
Do this at your own risk. I am posting this here only to document how I restored a completely busted iPhone. One thing I should mention first is that iPhone Rear plastic has a scratch-resistant coating.
The iPhone rear plastic is composed of the following:
1) The most inside layer is a thin colored plastic ( black or white).
2) Above that is a clear polycarbonate plastic layer.
3) Above that is the apple logo and writing.
4) Above that finally is a pretty good layer of scratch-resistant coating.
If your phone only has a few light scratches, only use the most aggressive sandpaper you have to, in order to remove the scratches. My recommendation is that you try to remove 90-95% of scratches without trying to remove 100%. This way you keep the scratch-resistant coating, which will protect from future scratches.
Rule of thumb, if you see that you are removing the apple logo, or that you start seeing a darker plastic you have gone too far ( Look at #1)
On my phone I had to remove all the scratch-resistant coating because it was completely covered in deep scratches. It scratches a lot easier now, so if you can avoid doing so, please leave the scratch-resistant coating on.
Restoring the back
This is a complete and comprehensive wet-sanding guide. If you have never wet-sanded before, or wonder why you never get good results this should help. This will let you restore anything that is plastic, or using harder/ finer grits you can polish metal/aluminum/painted parts. It’s a bit long, but I think the tips here will help you get great results.
Tools:
Sandpaper 320(or 500),800,1000,1500,2000,2500,3000 grit
3M Rubbing compound
Machine Polisher ( Power Drill or small buffer)
Microfibers
Sticky tack and or tape
If you want to save time and money I recommend just purchasing a 3M headlight restoration kit (available at almost all car part stores)
http://www.tcpglobal.com/3m/3mheadlight.aspx
It will have almost everything you need, but you still need to buy 1000,1500 and 2000 grit sandpaper + a microfiber on the side.
Directions :
Step 1: Dry-sand with first grit
(always when sanding keep a thumb/finger above the camera to avoid scratching the glass lens ! )
Dry sand with the least aggressive sandpaper needed to remove scratches. If you have deep scratches you may have to go down to 320-800, but if you have light scratches, 1000 or 1500 might be enough. The way you test this is first select a fine grit sandpaper, and see if it gets rid of most of the scratches. If you still see deep scratches, try the next most aggressive grit, etc. For me I had to go all the way down to 320 grit. This first step is really time intensive, but make sure you don’t use water, on the first step because it tends to hide scratches. When you dry sand you can see all the fine sanding marks you are making which allows you to see the scratches you haven’t removed. Dry sanding clogs sandpaper, but you can either buy more sandpaper or wash the sandpaper in water and dry it before you use it. Before you finish this first step, make sure all your sanding marks are in one direction; you’ll see why later.
Step 2: Wet-sand with remaining grits
1) Use very little water when you wet-sand ( don’t want to kill you iPhone).
2) Make sure the previous sanding marks are completely gone before moving on to the next higher grit.
The 2nd point is important, and the reason many people get poor results when wet-sanding. It’s a simple technique but it takes practice/patience to get right. But here are some tips:
a) Before moving on to a higher grit make sure all your sanding lines are in the same direction. When you first start sanding the part you can sand in any direction you want, but before you move to a higher grit make sure to sand the entire part down in one direction.
b) When you have moved to your next higher grit you don’t have to sand in a single perpendicular direction (a common myth). Just try to sand the part down as best you can in any direction. However Before you move on to a higher grit, make sure you sand perpendicular to the grit you before. This will let you know where you have to keep sanding before moving on.
So if your last sanding marks using 800 grit were left to right , the last sanding marks on 1000 should be top to bottom, then 1500 should be left to right, etc
c) Before you move on, dry the part a bit, to make sure all the previous sanding marks are gone ( again water tends to hide scratches ).
The most time consuming jumps for me were sanding 800grit lines with 1000 grit , and the 1000 grit lines with 1500 grit. These two are time consuming steps , but make sure you take your time, because the finer grit sandpapers will be unable to remove these deep marks (especially 800 grit lines).
When wet-sanding the phone it should look like below, not too much water and a slight white film. I kept all my wet-sanding paper in a bowl of water, and then dried it on a towel on my lap before using it on the phone. You want the paper to be wet, but not running!
After wet-sanding
After 1500
After 3000
In all these pictures you will notice a few things:
a) All the sanding marks are in one direction, and you can see that there are Zero sanding marks in any other direction.
b) The phone is dry
You may be wondering why all my sanding marks are lengthwise. When I wet-sand I still follow what I said above ( last step is to sand in the perpendicular direction to make sure all the previous sanding marks are gone) but then additionally I lightly sand in the longest dimension of the part, this helps me make sure I haven’t left any deep sanding marks of the similar grit ( i.e., I lightly sand 1000 grit sanding line with 1000 grit sandpaper so that sanding with 1500 is easier)
Step 3: Cover openings
Before you start polishing make sure you cover up your headphone port, volume buttons, vibrate button and 30 pin dock with sticky tack (that blue stuff). You can cover the camera glass, but the polishing compounds are not abrasiveness enough to scratch it (unlike the sandpaper). Sticky tack is easy to apply, and come off in one piece. Tape will probably work too but I found that the tape kept lifting off when I was buffing. Refer to the #2 in the following picture (the gray stuff).
I used two kinds of polishes (using one will work, but you will have to repeat it multiple times/results will vary)
I used the Orange 3m pad with 3M rubbing compound on a power drill. You can sanding halo marks.
You can then finish with the 3M rubbing compound using a microfiber and you will get almost near perfect results !
(Completely optional)
If you have access detailing products or a friend who details cars
I polished with a blue 3M Pad with Meguair’s 205 paint polish ( you can also use Scratch-x since its pretty mild polish).
I then finished with some Meguair’s NXT 2.0 wax
Results = completely flawless mirror finish.
Restoring the front
Not a comprehensive guide ( sure you can find a video or guide online) but I posted a few tips that I read from different users online, especially the ones that make things easier/lower risk of damaging your iPhone.
Tools
Heat gun ( or a blow dryer)
Latex Gloves
Compressed Air ( I’m cheap so i use a small bike pump)
Suction cup ( i used one that was too big but still worked)
Prying tools
E-xacto blade ( or something flat and thin)
Small Phillips screwdriver
Replacement parts ( I replaced the LCD and front glass)
1) Take out two bottom screws (blue arrows).
2) Use suction cup ( place it around the home button) and flip the glass up.
3) You will see connectors and numbers. Use the prying tool and lift the number one and number two connector. For the number three connector lift the flap and pull the screen away ( Red arrows).
Step 2 Remove LCD tray from Frame/Touchscreen
1) Remove the tape on the side of the LCD ( black).
2) Remove the remaining screws ( blue).
3) Use a prying tool on the side of the LCD tray to lift the LCD slightly.
4) Once the LCD has been lifter slightly use that small little hole on the bottom to slide the LCD down. ( safest way to remove LCD).
Step 2 Removing OLD LCD
1) You will have to get your old LCD unstuck from the aluminum tray ( this will ruin your OLD LCD, because the rear reflective material of the LCD will stay stuck to the LCD tray).
2) Remove old LCD reflective material (its like a mirror) and clean off the old adhesive.
3) Test fit the new LCD ( it lines up with two small plastic nibs and two holes on the LCD tray.
4) Remove the rear plastic from the new LCD, and stick it on the LCD tray ( you have to do this right the first step !).
5) When you are done use the old LCD as you template, and make small folds in the LCD cable connector ( you need it to be folded identically).
I didn’t take many pictures because, well its a pretty simple thing procedure, that is very difficult to do correctly. It’s like removing the aluminum foil from a Hershey’s bar. It’s easy to do, but in the process the aluminum foil gets a bit wrinkled.
1) Heat up the Glass and Plastic frame ( I can’t really say how long depending on what you use, but a good sign is if you start to smell a little bit of plastic, that’s a good sign.
2) Somehow, either using your fingers or a prying tool, remove the glass/touchscreen from the frame. This will probably crack the LCD, and actually that makes it a bit easier. I heard from a friend, that if you already have a cracked glass, removing it is a bit easier than trying to remove it as an entire piece.
3) Clean off all the old residue, and if you bent your frame a little, bend it back in to shape.
4) Apply the new adhesive strips ( pretty easy ) make sure that you when you buy the touchscreen/glass it comes with two new strips.
5) Before you apply the touchscreen/glass put on some latex gloves ( from now until you are finish) and peel the inside screen protector away a bit, and tape down the cables.
6)Remove the adhesive from the two strips and place the new glass on your plastic frame (take your time).
Step 4 Put New LCD back in
7) Remove the inside screen protector of the Glass/touchscreen and put it glass side up ( to avoid dust). Then remove the lcd screen protector and keep it in your hand ( you want to avoid getting any dust on it ). Before you snap the new LCD into the frame, make sure there in no dust/lint on either part ( used the compressed air before you put everything together, DON’T use the microfiber since they have lint).
Step 5 Put everything back together
Just the reverse, pretty easy. Before you put the screws on the LCD tray, make sure you didn’t get any dust, if you did unsnap the lcd, used the compressed air to get it clean and put it back together. The only tricky connector is the #3 one, but its not too hard. Then you when you put the glass back into your iPhone, slide the top part first ( by the headset) and then the bottom part) and you are done!
I Love how clear the glass is, but I hate how easy it gets scratched. Right after you take off the front plastic film you can put on a screen protector without having to clean the glass.
A very special thanks to: Shenaniganz08 for putting all the time and effort into making this post possible.
via MacRumors
Travel Through Space for Free, Guided by World-Famous Astronomers
Once in a while we are faced with a particular use of technology that changes how we interact with the world around us, but it’s not often that we find technology to help imagine what it’s like to travel through space and understand the universe beyond our world. Microsoft’s WorldWide Telescope does just that.
WorldWide Telescope is actually a project that has a lot of sentimental value to a lot of people at Microsoft. The project was being developed by Jim Gray, researcher and manager of Microsoft Research’s Science Group, when he got lost sailing from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, to the Farallon Islands and was never found again. WorldWide Telescope was donated, in his honor, free of charge to the scientific community and to anyone who enjoys exploring space.
I have to admit it, I was very skeptical at first. I am an astronomy buff who has been burned many times before by software that promised to help me understand a particular star cluster or navigate the gorgeous clouds in the Orion Nebula. Time and time again I have been disappointed, so expectations were very low.
My first surprise was with the source of materials. WorldWide Telescope has managed to gather images from most major sources and formats in the world and has literally created a giant 3 dimensional map of the visible universe in amazing satellite images, as well as gamma rays, microwave background, x-ray images and much, much more. You can view any section you pick as a panorama that can be rotated, focus only on planets or moons, or watch our own planet at night from a bird’s eye view.
The second, even more exciting surprise is that for the first time, I didn’t have to try to make sense of the information alone. Almost every topic and interest has tours through space which are guided by world famous astronomers. You can learn about “Space Dust and US” from Alyssa Goodman or “Search for Extra Solar Planets” with David Charbonneau, both from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Or how about a “Walkthrough of the Landings of the Apollo Missions” or a trip to the “Center of the Milky Way” with Doug Roberts from the Adler Planetarium Astronomy Museum? And if you are so inclined, you can create your own tour to share with friends. It’s as easy as creating a PowerPoint Document.
And the fun doesn’t end there. Resources about any part of space are available with one click, so you can read about what you are looking at as you explore it, search for particular terms and find guided explanations of most things you could have questions about. WorldWide Telescope also allows you to configure your experience to view space exactly as what you want to study it if you are an astronomer, but also allows people who just like looking at stars, to have fun traveling around aimlessly.
You can join communities and get access to their own tours and documents or even connect your own telescope to WorldWide Telescope.
Now, WorldWide Telescope is obviously not the only program that can be used to view space. Google Sky has attempted to give us a view of the universe that emulates its Google Earth, but it pales in comparison. Many other open source and paid programs have attempted (and failed) to do what WorldWide Telescope does so well.
So take a break from the problems of this world and lose yourself around Cassiopeia explosions, exploring the rings of Saturn or traveling through the clouds of a stellar nursery to watch some stars being born. It can help make your problems seem a little bit smaller in comparison.
Have a favorite spot in outer space? Share it with us. I’d love to go visit it.
Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!
Related posts- (9)5 Best Websites For Space and Astronomy Fans
- (10)Learn Interesting Geographical Facts About Mars On Google
- (4)2 Cool Windows Mobile Apps For Astronomy Enthusiasts
- (2)10 Cool Online Apps and Interactive Features Offered by NASA
- (8)Use Memoriser to Memorize Information Fast During Work Day
One Dead Simple Tactic for Better Rankings in Google Local
Posted by randfish
This post is short and easy to follow, just like the tactic it recommends. Most everyone who optimizes for Google Local (aka Google Maps) is familar with David Mihm's excellent and oft-referenced Local Search Ranking Factors. In that document, and in many places where local results are analyzed, it's clear that getting your business/website into more listings, in a consistent fashion is a very good thing.
Yet, somehow, this obvious tactic has gone missing from many GG Local optimization recommendations. Either that or it's so obvious that no one feels the need to mention it. Whatever the case, it's available now :-)
Step 1: Do Lots of Searches Related to Your Business & RegionLet's say you're working on local SEO for a Thai restaurant in Seattle, WA. Searches you might perform include:
You're seeking results that show competing or closely related businesses, so get creative.
Step 2: Identify a Handful (or a Few Dozen) Businesses that Consistently Get Top RankingsYou could build a formal spreadsheet and perform tracking to identify these or start with gut feel and expand later on in the process. For less competitive listings, an informal approach may work just fine.
Step 3: Go to the Local Business Profile for Each of TheseDon't click the name of the listing itself. Instead, follow the links to the "reviews" about each of your competitors' businesses. You'll get a page with information about the business, reviews and lists of data that Google has found about them.
Step 4: Click on the Links to "More About this Place"The "more about this place" section of the business listing shows brief snippets, titles and URLs where Google has found relevant information pertaining to the business. This is your potential goldmine for discovering listing sources.
Step 5: Go to those Sites & Get Your Business Added/UpdatedThe domains that are listed are places where Google is pulling information about your business. This is where the Maps algorithm comes into play - it relies on not only the number of listings, but the quality of the sources and the consistency between them. You want every listing to perfectly match one another, right down the the suffix on the reservations phone number and the formatting of your suite number (e.g. 1221 E Pike Street vs. 1221 East Pike Street vs. 1221 E Pike Street Suite 200 vs. 1221 East Pike Street #200 are all DIFFERENT - don't make that mistake).
As an example, I visited a link from Thaiku's listing in the example above to Intuit's Local Business Directory (I didn't even know they had one until now) and could then add/edit SEOmoz's listing:
In addition to the potential local ranking boost, a majority of these sources offer the potential to earn links! Even if you don't care much about the local results themselves, this is a pretty terrific way to get some good quality, trusted sites linking to you.
Step 6: Repeat Step 4 & 5 for the "Reviews" and "User Content" SectionsIf you're hungry for even more sources, you can look at where listings come from on other competitors and/or go back to the business listing's page in Google Maps/Local and choose from the "reviews" and "user content" sections for even more potential spots. Much like manual link building back in the late '90's, perseverance and careful attention to detail will take you far.
There are automated services out there to help with this process, but I haven't yet seen one I feel completely comfortable about. The biggest issue is the dramatic value of and need for consistency in the listings. When automated systems submit, they can mix in a suite number in the wrong place, cut off a phone number because the form doesn't accept hyphens or confirm a URL that doesn't match what you've submitted elsewhere. For now, I recommend playing it safe and spending the hours (even if that's a dozen or two) to get those 50-250 listings correct. Google will reward you with local rankings and high quality traffic.
p.s. Next week I'm down in Portland for SEMpdx's Searchfest and hope to spend time with some true local search experts and perhaps share some more cutting edge tactics :-)
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Days Get Shorter Because of Chilean Earthquake [Science]
Apart from a colossal tsunami, here's another effect of the 66.6 exajoules liberated by this weekend's earthquake in Chile: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory says that days will now be shorter because the quake shifted Earth's axis by three inches.
The change—which can only be measured thanks to computer models—will result in days that are 1.26 microseconds shorter than before. That's 0.00000126 seconds shorter. There may have been more visible changes, like islands changing its position. One of them, Santa María, may have raised two meters after the shattering land move.
This is not the first time this has happened, as every single earthquake has an effect on the planet's axis. [Business Week]
Jesus Diaz12494407883353134112132424483007667487910973355568374054369301088533716617973864004931473711135736701296458230760441326305507463195382474210151803599052989061261033657838065327386403037096719938744356057710760477976853111299094653484141042113464076067335111270131950800001004542280100837788941709777118022361827347705169023575942806240377430174704032501925547305120207073746910346128398450767332739750473177833492431815914953040201314051275124535169747104014540862467899993043609716896325114766427038172794997313584617831189652991343957402016228144671989034370102618843670192259021134342660774468610817571269646149774680004357792403608180600747412955044466041513475030348080395576110643392423305457061470445989561345058906715572903698865996149337818678206883621726818317867356899713578209299560015229061667884667288537260439432721290773012815518133623505791902174266875095998470760929384408946709941415553836892324649893088082489240173933890324084837372084718703113777931696113816175331922981132385780309517528595769608013428175414578477457063998572611616330370734898595998489643617982735881354636439111637649844150765171220925702330252466713984629706673382047122102769555530222360586835126650712454207953553236052889489102235359081757336560470838389582481559210410626927748531469136280644311575458200441563726454654157601537020898680511883124061399336188267690502451488311880482302589583026818394715154288083291089485431242226189082235129000527249181052509510088511344976700323060074517557377427197806410159176108978359139335366067798658391839645427794170943909910433080169090885175543954722932012991407095950306229027816803307490971839811124252624557521599651275757174665268504214343395368018742732085420236727224242410044912139564000317808817455269447323940165186485074635584320224507026747777586801649972735008805796092658056349905337170465022948522410163208321565164716342350027922283843330709290215002597320602968200226449738758816739019343889840353194381591668984767603318611022286491638060847
We insist on the highest standards for all the children who work for us in China
It’s true that we’ve found a few cases where some of our suppliers have hired underage workers in China. To our credit, we published this information ourselves, on our Web site. Also, let’s be clear — we’re talking about 15-year-old kids, who lied about their age and pretended to be 16 so they could get a job. I know the press is going to go nuts about this, and you’ll be seeing sensationalist headlines about us hiring children to make iPods. Well, I suppose it sells papers. But the truth is, I was working when I was 15. I bet you were too. Didn’t hurt me, and I don’t think it hurt the kids who were working in our factories. But anyway, we all have to play along and pretend to be contrite. But the truth is, we treat the kids in our factories better than any other company on earth, and frankly, I’m damn proud of that.
We’re totally committed to protecting teen workers and making sure they’re not getting exploited. For example, while we still allow job applicants to pay for the privilege of getting jobs working for Apple suppliers, we’re limiting the amount you can spend on that bribe recruiting fee — from now on, nobody has spend more than one month’s wages to get a job working for us. We’re very proud of this. We also require that each teen’s mattress contains at least four ounces of straw, and we never allow more than three kids per bed in the dormitories. And the ones who work around dangerous chemicals now are required to wear paper masks — because even though there’s no law about this, we just think it’s the right thing to do.
But I’d like to address the larger issue of hiring children to make iPods and iPhones. I suppose this sounds awful, if you’re a Westerner with Western biases. But think about it. We’re trying to make products that appeal to young people. How better to do that than to have young people making the products? These kids are the best focus group in the world.
Plus, do you have any idea how tiny the components on these new iPods are? Adults simply can’t do the job. Their fingers are too big. And their eyes fatigue too easily from all the squinting. Half of them go blind after a year on the job, and then we have to shove them out into the streets where they beg for coins because they have no disability coverage. At Apple we’ve decided that this just doesn’t meet our standards. So we’ve stopped doing hiring adults for many of our assembly jobs.
Kids, on the other hand? Tiny fingers, sharp eyes. In other words, perfect. Plus, you should see how psyched these kids are to be working on Apple products. They may come from some rural shithole village in the middle of nowhere, but they know that Apple products are cool, and they’re tremendously proud to be making them. Their great dream, the one thing that keeps them getting up every morning at five a.m. for that bowl of cold porridge, is the hope that someday they might be able to afford to purchase one of our gorgeous devices for themselves.
Every time I visit one of our manufacturing facilities I’m overwhelmed by the teenagers who line up to greet me. The way they smile, with their weirdly misshapen teeth, and wave to me with their disfigured, chemically stained hands! The way they bow to me and call out, Wangbadan, which is an extremely formal way of saying “Thank you, O great one.” I often leave in tears.
Also, our manufacturing campuses offer great meals — not free, but subsidized — plus an awesome gym and a swimming pool. And loads of ping pong tables because they’re crazy for ping pong over there. But you won’t see those things mentioned in any of these sensationalist articles. No, they’d rather just dwell on the bad stuff. Well, as usual, there’s more to the story than what you read on the Internet. The truth is, we’re setting a standard that no other company in the world has been able to match, and we’re extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished.
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The Best Sites To Find Cheap Mac Computers
Macs are brilliant computers and are arguably better than PCs. They suit creative professionals such as writers and designers, educational needs and personal computing requirements. Why then, do PCs dominate the market?
It’s in the price. Apple don’t allow their products to be manufactured by third parties like Microsoft do. That way, they have all of the costs involved in creating the product but also have all of the profit.
There are two ways to overcome the price obstacle to find cheap Mac computers. Either bite the bullet and cough up the price for a computer with the same specs as a PC but a at double the price or use the Internet to save yourself a packet and have a shiny (new) Mac delivered to your door.
North America Official Apple StoreWhilst the official Apple Store is a good place to buy brand new Macs, you can also save hundreds of dollars by buying refurbished and cheap Mac computers from them as well. I did some research and found some models such as a 3.06GHz 21″ iMac for just $1000. That means you save over $200 on the normal price. Savings on MacBooks are even better, some with up to 30% off the retail price.
Until recently, buying ‘refurbished’ computers over the Internet was dodgy to say the least. This was mainly because different people had different perceptions of the word ‘refurbish’. For some, it was wiping the hard drive and shipping it off. For others, it was replacing all worn and damaged parts, wiping the hard drive, updating all the software and sending you a pristine laptop. Thankfully, the latter has become the norm now and because these are from Apple, you know you’re in good hands.
Power MaxPower Max, an authorised Apple reseller, have become very well known for selling top quality Macs including both new and used conditions. Delivery is free for any item over $100. They also have a customer support line which is comforting.
Their prices are quite good, especially among the used computers. You could land yourself a 17″ Intel for as little as $800. You can also buy components separately if you just need a second monitor or a new keyboard.
I haven’t gotten to the best bit yet. You can save even more money, potentially hundreds of dollars, by trading in old Mac products such as laptops, iMacs, iPods and the like. All you have to do is fill in a form to get a quote back from their team.
Your old computer is then either refurbished and resold or recycled. What’s more, if you trade in your old PC you don’t get charged tax on your next purchase. You can also trade in your old Mac and have funds credited to your account if you don’t want to make a purchase immediately.
Another great site where you can find great Mac deals taken from numerous websites is DealMac. They collect deals and saving on Macs and Mac accessories and post them to their site. It is updated numerous times every day.
Europe Second Chance PCThis site, which is based in the UK offers new, used and refurblished, cheap Mac computers to the European market. Advantages of ordering your new Mac from within the EU (if you live here, that is) is the free trade. This means you won’t be charged import duty as you would if found buying tech goods from the US or any other country. The postage is also considerably cheaper and there will be no need to change things such as power adapters and so on.
They have a good selection of computers available ranging from the very new to the very old. You can pick up a Mac which is a couple of years old for just a few hundred Euros and the new machines have up to 30% discounts when compared to their retail counterparts.
Asia-Pacific BuyMac.com.auThis website caters to the Australian market and is an authorised Apple Reseller. Their normal prices are pretty much on par with most other websites with a few variations. When they have sales and promotional offers they can go down quite a bit. However, it’s their ‘Clearance’ section that I’m interested in.
They list plenty of ex-demo Macs and retail returns. For example, I saw this 15″ MacBook Pro which had been reduced from AUD$3,199 to AUD$2,499. Not a bad saving.
They also have a real-world store in Melbourne so you can pick up your products should you live near them.
Note: Most of the Official European and Asian Apple websites offer refurbished Macs in the same manner as the US site does so make sure to check out your local Apple website for great savings.
A Word of Warning about Asian WholesalersMacs and Apple products in general have become status symbols as much as they have become tech Gods. For that reason, there are numerous websites which will offer you discounted Macs as seemingly unimaginable prices. I’m talking about certain Chinese wholesale sites which I won’t mention for legal reasons. I’m sure many of you are familiar with them by hearing or seeing rip-off iPhones and hearing horror stories on online forums.
I have heard both good and bad, but it’s important to take good reviews with a shovel of salt as this is the Internet after all. Bottom line, many cheap Mac computer offers are scams. I did a lot of research for this article to ensure I didn’t inadvertently include any in this list. Remember, if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is. Sometimes it’s worth paying an extra couple hundred bucks so the product will actually arrive at your door.
Apple Education DiscountWhen buying from the official Apple online stores, you can save hundreds of dollars on new Mac computers if you’re a student or a teacher/lecturer. Apple say:
“If you are a student, teacher, lecturer, administrator or other staff member in education you qualify for special discounted pricing on Apple computers, software and select third party products.”
So if you’re at college or university, it may work out cheaper to buy directly from Apple because of the discount. Keep in mind that you will have to prove you actually attend the school you say you do.
Always remember, you can also save even more money when buying online by using coupon sites such as Retail Me Not and Deals.com. These sites syndicate one-off offers from thousands of website, all of which would be impossible to cover here. I dedicated an an entire chapter to the subject in my PDF Guide which you can find here.
Do you know of any other great websites which offer Macs at a cheaper price? Well, share them!
Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!
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- (7)Deal Of The Day: Blu-Ray Disc Player… For Only $99 (*$100 Off*)
- (9)5 Sites To Find Black Friday & Cyber Monday Sale Listings
Innovative Product Design
When I’m looking for web design inspiration I like to make sure that I look at non web related sources of design to ensure that I don’t just follow current web trends. So today I thought I would showcase a whole host of really innovative product designs. Some of them have designed new ways to use existing products and some are just plain silly, either way they are a great source of inspiration.
Bottle Hanger Cuckoo Wrist Clock Plastic Bag Lamp Bike Valve Key Rack Bird Shape Scissors E-ntancle Sofa Bunk Bed Rug Cum Hut Hanger Tea Glass Pool Table Finger Bookmark Oops Cabinet iTable Sicko Tissues Runny Nose Tissue Box Underfull Table Cloth Blood Puddle PillowIf you like this post you may also want to look at:
World Class Graffiti Inspiration
Why not follow me on twitter: @atikusdesign
or to ensure you are updated with every D-Lists posts follow: @d_lists
Toyota Hearings: More Evidence That Our Politicians Know Nothing
Some years ago at a BMW dinner at the L.A. auto show, I entered into a conversation with the congressman who served the good burghers of Spartanburg, where BMW has its U.S. factory. He was a personable enough fellow, although were he a Muslim rather than a Christian his fundamentalist religious beliefs would have scared most reasonable people in America. More worrying, his world view was narrow and rather worse informed than that of a regular reader of The Economist. Yikes, I thought, we allow 535 of these people to make serious decisions on our behalf?
My skepticism has been heightened by the naivete and ignorance that our lawmakers have displayed when first GM, Chrysler, and Ford, and then Toyota had to explain their failings to them. I might not know much about weapons of mass destruction that are hiding in the Iraqi deserts, but I do know a little bit about this topic. It’s apparent, however, that most of the lawmakers haven’t got a clue. My favorite quote in the Toyota hearings was from Rep. Henry Waxman, who said: “Carmakers have entered the electronics era, but [NHTSA] seems stuck in a mechanical mindset.” The latter part of this may be true, but the statement as a whole is willfully dim for two reasons.
First, if the collective engineering brains at Toyota can’t work out what happened to its runaway cars, does Waxman really think that NHTSA’s hiring of a few electronics engineers—who will be low grade, because the good ones get paid a lot by people like, oh, the car and computer companies—will get to the bottom of the problem? Ain’t gonna happen, Henry.
More to the point, when does Waxman think carmakers entered the electronics industry? Last time I looked, carmakers were in the electronics industry before Messrs. Jobs and Gates started Apple and Microsoft. Some years before Gates and crew set up shop, Bendix had introduced electronic fuel injection in 1957. Bosch’s D-Jetronic came out in 1967. Carburetors essentially died in the late 1980s and were replaced by electronic fuel injection: This, I’d wager, was before most of us started using PCs on a regular basis, unless they were engineers employed in the car and aerospace industries. Bosch four-channel anti-lock brakes came to market on the Merc S-class in 1978.
The implication in the hearings was that car companies don’t understand electronics as well as the computer industry. There’s no doubt that carmakers have got the mechanical bits pretty well sorted, that computing power has increased exponentially in cars, and most of the glitches that strand us nowadays are electronic. But I’d wager that automakers do a pretty good job with their electronics and have been doing so for some time: I mean, when was the last time you were driving 80 mph down the freeway and your car ceased to function? It has never happened to me, yet my fabulous Dell PC just refuses to function for me with monotonous regularity.
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Conan O’Brien Officially Joins Twitter
Former The Tonight Show host Conan O’Brien — aka “Coco” — has officially become a Twitterer.
A few hours ago, we noticed a new Twitter account, @ConanOBrien, had become active. We contacted Twitter to find out whether this account was the real deal. It told us that it thought it was likely, but was still verifying his identity.
Now it’s official: Conan O’Brien is part of the Twitterverse, and his following is growing rapidly. In just a few hours, he has grown to more than 50,000 followers and 1000+ lists.
Conan gained huge support after an NBC shakeup forced Conan O’Brien out of The Tonight Show. Major Facebook campaigns helped him win the hearts and mind of the Internet.
It’s reasonable to believe that he will flourish on Twitter, although we don’t know whether he can surpass Bill Gates’s rapid Twitter growth.
Are you going to follow Coco? How should he use his Twitter account? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Reviews: TwitterTags: conan o'brien, social media, trending, twitter
Dell's Tablet Aims to Stick It to Apple's iPad
Dell's Tablet Aims to Stick It to Apple's iPad
OMG, They Killed (the Original) Rickroll!
Wanna Rickroll someone? No problem, there are thousands of copies of the video of Rick Astley’s legendary song, “Never Gonna Give You Up,” on the Internet. However, if you want to use the original Rickroll video, which should be located here, you’ll be greeted by an ugly message: This video has been removed due to terms of use violation.
Rickrolling, in case you haven’t been online between early 2008 and now, is the practice of tricking someone into opening the aforementioned video, and it’s considered to be one of the most popular Internet memes of all time.
Yes, it’s a popular and copyrighted song, but it’s also been viewed millions of times precisely because it became such a popular online meme. How removing it from YouTube will help copyright owners is a mystery to me. Props to Neowin for noticing this one.
Reviews: YouTubeTags: rick astley, rickroll, trending
A Funeral Is Being Held For IE6 On March 4. Browser To Be Buried Without The Body.
Slowly, but surely, Internet Explorer 6, long the bane of many a web developer, is dying. And you’re invited to its funeral.
A Denver, CO-based design company, Aten Design Group, has built a site to mark the occasion. At IE6funeral.com you can RSVP as to whether you will be able to attend the funeral service or not. It’s at the company’s headquarters in Denver, but those who aren’t able to attend in person are being asked to send flowers. For those who can attend, “Funeral attire is encouraged.”
From the site:
Internet Explorer Six, resident of the interwebs for over 8 years, died the morning of March 1, 2010 in Mountain View, California, as a result of a workplace injury sustained at the headquarters of Google, Inc. Internet Explorer Six, known to friends and family as “IE6,” is survived by son Internet Explorer Seven, and grand-daughter Internet Explorer Eight.
Sadly, this funeral will not actually be the last we heard of IE6. While Google Docs may be ending support on March 1, YouTube won’t kill it off until March 13. And then of course there are tens or hundreds of thousands of sites out there that not only support IE6, but in some cases are built specifically for it. It’s going to be a hard sucker to kill. But at least a funeral will provide some closure until we find the body.
CrunchBase InformationWindows Internet ExplorerGoogleInformation provided by CrunchBaseRise of the Point-and-Click Botnet
A kit lets beginners craft sophisticated attacks.
In 2005, a Russian hacker group known as UpLevel developed Zeus, a point-and-click program for creating and controlling a network of compromised computer systems, also known as a botnet. Five years of development later, the latest version of this software, which can be downloaded for free and requires very little technical skill to operate, is one of the most popular botnet platforms for spammers, fraudsters, and people who deal in stolen personal information.
(author unknown)02880826677598653427
The Bloom Box: a power plant for the home (video)
Now get this, skeptics: there are already several corporate customers using refrigerator-sized Bloom Boxes. The corporate-sized cells cost $700,000 to $800,000 and are installed at 20 customers you've already heard of including FedEx and Wal-mart -- Google was first to this green energy party, using its Bloom Boxes to power a data center for the last 18 months. Ebay has installed its boxes on the front lawn of its San Jose location. It estimates to receive almost 15% of its energy needs from Bloom, saving about $100,000 since installing its five boxes 9 months ago -- an estimate we assume doesn't factor in the millions Ebay paid for the boxes themselves. Bloom makes about one box a day at the moment and believes that within 5 to 10 years it can drive down the cost to about $3,000 to make it suitable for home use. Sounds awfully aggressive to us. Nevertheless, Bloom Energy will go public with details on Wednesday -- until then, check the 60 Minutes sneak peek after the break.
[Thanks, Abe P.]
Continue reading The Bloom Box: a power plant for the home (video)
The Bloom Box: a power plant for the home (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 01:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsThomas Ricker085150969756558004131448343810106082253305540450001301599868086355650636812993271348067827210446109011465077364601076910063246988072346277561470445989561345058916668671990430206642090911913710284290700018946023856067636110954597295890849109029262476870296247601041062692774853146902996359201261000628044173794435160099810077890132570938377409359100995397633021094724333698938340661662179853971163765510997291457683374676021764333795845510091531258892243563670407699901452348793722119638644180235818511351567395441826792208591363062561106535110895559484410281511249358004995903039610173613006159217946153635605699127592851167745839677568733413599186829292602365072288584808559440110845129845511679318605883430260499693927182580710090558526241294221512464569692301395442130211939656153309247130939332891252706251532289730116493311208447164980106903179330947935660589137245899459653012510204381816767954159291602650297699480764584290224401546504358948532680775823149371892599204995510475856174048539347205884739345230282994004252766388398777291098980670573148837604587748544218900048071112302275245627671112803710235173939118310627169944321417002438714591625739771500681606817143581110544902373770374189094399988382189266430026963830405035702812628153830103736447000985070514419684370204657935107551207717310949144340976844106422166539144361380623000834729786305714732489459139151585053683039792552684551502967847790695395114802653540414160190049130502652814547031186754422304371838608167311343990821453167027600556147762121396076286950092193115873497436387328407126844383713060404401214789904265758827003155358063646440125058248055811778516921320492977409486861403994307103114238101046341082922471069670707442907964532910401522561361258231732095282460045841255011232228053610888654703556564746606986812016014530781208242690371893732341340866404036784577993996482iPad Pre-Orders to Start Next Week? [RUMOR]
Could iPad pre-orders start as early as next week? According to AppAdvice.com, that seems like a possibility. The website cites a “source familiar with the matter” that says U.S.-only presales could begin as soon as February 25.
We’re still classifying this very much as a rumor, although Apple has made products available via pre-order in the past. Notably, iPhone-related pre-orders have all been through the wireless carrier or carrier reseller, so take this for what it is: a rumor.
When Apple unveiled the iPad a few weeks ago, one of the many questions (aside from “Where’s the Flash?”) that arose from the presentation was, “Where can I get one?” Although Steve Jobs said that the Wi-Fi units would start shipping about 60 days after the announcement (putting us at the end of March) with the 3G models to follow a month later, no official release date has been announced and thus far, potential customers have been asked to fill out a “notify me” form at Apple’s website for more information.
February 25 would be about a month ahead of the projected release date, which would give Apple more time to rev up its production to meet pre-order demand and stock stores.
Two weeks ago, there were reports that two Norwegian Apple resellers had to suspend their own pre-order initiatives because of overwhelming demand.
Adding to the excitement/confusion/frustration is Apple’s decision to conceal freight records from public access. These records can often indicate when a product will be arriving on store shelves, but after experiencing a leak with regards to the iPhone 3G’s arrival date, Apple has taken more precautions in concealing that sort of data.
Here’s what we want to know from you: Assuming the iPad does become available for pre-order in the next few weeks, will you buy one in advance? Let us know in the comments!
Reviews: iPhoneTags: Apple Tablet, ipad
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